How I Save 45-55% Off Our Grocery Bill

Monday, October 08, 2012

It really isn't a secret that the grocery stores and manufacturers want us to use coupons when purchasing their products. By doing so, it's a three-way win, which also includes the shopper in that mix.

Even without coupon clipping, you can save a great deal on your family meals each week with a little planning and by using the sales flyers from your local grocer. But I take it a step further and, with the help of bloggers and other proven resources, match the current manufacturer coupons with the weekly sales flyer. A third component, if you choose, is to add printable coupons that can be downloaded from various internet resources.

Last week I saved 51% off my grocery bill -- the best so far since I began tracking and logging my savings in July.

With these savings in mind, for me it is worth it to take a couple hours on a weeknight while watching TV to scan the CouponMom.com website and weekly ads (both print and online) for my local grocery deals. Then I clip only those coupons that match the sale promotions for my trip to the grocery store, as identified on the CouponMom.com website. Following her lists, I clip my coupons from those stored in an upright hanging file folder system I sequenced by date, a trick I learned from Jill Cataldo, the Super Couponing queen. It is so simple! Then I only clip the coupons for the current week when that item goes on sale.

Sweetening the deal for us here in St. Louis, one of our three regional grocers, Shop 'n Save, periodically has a $10 off $50 purchase "No Coupon" promotion on Thursdays. That just happens to be this week! When I stack on the additional Shop 'n Save deal from our regional Entertainment Coupon Book ($5 off $50 coupon), that is a total of $15 off $50 just by walking in the door!!

More cost-savings: I created my shopping list using the online list generator and emailed it to myself to eliminate wasting toner and copy paper. It's also on my smartphone with the stores handy app. Isn't technology wonderful?

So, here I am tonight with my grocery lists ready, coupons clipped and eagerly anticipating the Thursday shopping frenzy. It's kind of an adrenalin rush for me to see the subtotal decrease at checkout when my many coupons are scanned. Guess I am considered an extreme coupon shopper by some people's standards. Heck, if it saves my family 45-55% off our grocery bill, then so be it!

If you are just getting started with th Coupon Game, Google both of these sources I mentioned -- CouponMom (aka Stephanie Nelson) and Jill Cataldo. Read up on their tips or watch their stories absolutely FREE, then find your own way of super or extreme couponing like I did. Caution: Don't pay for lists or advice initially and never pay to get your local grocer deals online. Seek out all the FREE information you can gather first. After you start saving a significant amount on your shopping trips, consider researching other pay options. Good Luck!

FLEETFEETGIRL
We don't shop there much any more, but I LOVED those Shop N Save Thursdays! I took one cart, DH took one cart to maximize our $10 off. Thanks for sharing those other great ideas and how sweet was that, to get 51% off your bill! 1956 days ago

ANGELONE11
Thanks for the information as I already clip coupons and use printable coupons as well! The more information that I get definitely will help with lowering my grocery bills as well!1957 days ago

GAYLLYNNE
My local grocery store sends it's weekly coupons in an email. If you register your discount card online, click on the coupon you want, it's automatically loaded on your card. When they scan the card before checkout, it's automatically deducted from your total. A great convenience! I will check out your site too!1957 days ago

MEDDYPEDDY
Hmm, I don´t think we have the same opportunities in Sweden although we do have coupons and we do have flyers every week – I also get very "personal" coupons on frequent things I shop. I loved the idea and might look into it - 50 % saved sounds tempting!